Process of making laminated shims



April 14, 1931- L. A. JoHNsoN 1,800,942

v PROCESS OF MAKING LAMINATED SHIMS Filed May 27, 1929 @Qzo.

LLOYD AJOHIVSON Y W A TTORNEY 0 INVENTOR.

0h HILLSBORQUGH, GALIFORNIA TRQGEfifi 0F MING LAMINATED SEl application as. ltlay av,

My invention relates to. improvements in malring shims. its is well known in the art, shims are used to rovide for taking up wear in hearings, to adpust the spacing of gears or housings, and in a variety of other applications. it shim usually comprises a plurality. of thin laminae held together or secured to a body plate in such a manner that the laminae may be readily detached, one at a time, or, as desired, so as to reduce the thickness of the shim by a predetermined amount.

A more recent development in the art is the Babbitt-tipped shim for use with bearings provided with forced feed lubrication. The ordinary shim does not contact with the shaft in the bearings but is spaced slightly therefrom so as not to scrap the shaft. This spacing", however, leaves a channel throu h which oil may escape and in a pressure lu%ricating 0 system it constitutes a serious leak which lowera the pressure of the system. The Babbitttipped shim overcomes this defect because it is provided, on its inner edge, with a lug or facing of babbitt or other bearing material J which closes the channel above referred to,

and maintains the pressure in the oiling sysi Tn some cases, the channel is not entirely filled up b the lug, but is merely closed at each en by short lugs of bearing metal secured to the shim, leaving a pocket for oil between the lugs,

My invention has for an object to provide a new method of mahin shims both of the plain and Babbitt-tippe type.

dhim laminae are made of very thin metal (usually brass) and the metal is comparatively expensive because of the labor involved in rolling it down to the requisite thinness and to accurate gage. Under ordinary conditions, it is not necessary to make the entire shim of thin laminae, nor is it desirable to use the thin brass for this purpose without a substantial backing, because the metal is comparatively soft. It is customary, therefore, to make shims with a. heavy body plate, or, in some cases, with several plates of substantial cross-section, and then to apply a limited number of thin laminae to these plates, joining the whole by means of solder or other adhesive or cementing material.

1929. terial No. 366,478.

Heretofore, it has been found necessary to use brass for the body plate of the shim. There are two reasons for this choice of metal: (1) The brass will not corrode when subjected to moisture: (2) It lends itself readily to $01- dering. With the object of reducing the cost of shims as much as possible, efiorts have been made to use a less expensive metal for the body plate of the shim. A desirable metal for this purpose is steel or iron, steel being preferable because of its hardness, but the chief drawbacks to steel are the readiness with which it rusts and the diculty with which it takes solder. When the laminm are soldered to a steel body plate the latter must be treated with acid flux. This acid starts corrosion which gradually creeps over the en tire surface of the plate. The corrosion acts not only to separate the laminae from the plate, but also has a tendency to increase the thickness of the shim. For these reasons, a body plate of ferrous metal has heretofore been considered unsuitable for use in a shim.

However, l have found that a shim may be made economically with the use of steel or other ferrous metal or alloy, as the base plate, provided the steel is plated or coated with a material which will not only protect it against rust, but will also provide a good bond for the solder or other adhesive used. It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a shim in which a plurality of laminm are secured to a base plate of ferrous metal provided with a protective coating. Various metals may be employed for plating the steel, such for instance as copper, niclrel, etc. it have found that cadmium makes a particularly satisfactory coating material, because it maintains a good appearance and will not tarnish, because it protects the iron against rust, and because it provides an excellent bond for solder.

Another object of the invention is to protill Other objects and advantages of my inven the novelty and scope of the invention will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my improved shim;

Fig. 2 is a new in cross section, the section beingtaken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 1s a view in perspective of the body plate used in my shim, with a part of the Babbitt facing thereon; and

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of a number of laminae ready to be appliedto the body plate shown in Fig. 3.

The particular shim illustrated in the accompanying body plate is located in the middle of the shim with laminae on opposite faces thereof. However, the particular form of the shim is immaterial and the shim can just as well be made of entirely different shape and with a different arrangement of parts, provided it has at least one body plate. In the drawings,

- the numeral'lO. is used to indicate the body rough at the edge. When steel is cut out by means of dies it is not severed smoothly, but breaks. The broken edge is granular and provides an. excellent surface to which a plating will adhere. have similar roughened surfaces with which the plating may knit very closely.

After the plate has been cut out and perforated, as.shown, it is subjected to a plating treatment. The plating may be deposited mechanically or electrochemically according to the metal used. As explained above, I prefer to use cadmium although other plating metals can also'be used. The cadmium plated body plate is proof against rust and owing to the broken surfaces above referred to there will be very close adherence between the cadmium and the steel along the edges of the plate and particularly in the orifices 13. Cadmium is known-to provide a very good bonding surface for solder, babbitt, and other bearing metals.

The plate 10 is now placed in a suitable mold and. a facing of babbit 14 is cast thereon. (In the use of the word babbitt I do not confine myself to the particular alloy originally known as Babbitt metal, but also mean to include other bearing allo s which are usually loosely termed Bab itt metals). The facing 14 is applied to the forward edge of the late 10 and is also carried around the ends 0 the plate, as indicated at 15. The

facing 14 not only fits over the edge of the plate 10 but also enters the perforations 13,

drawings is one in which the through which a center-- The orifices 13 will also.

and because of the aflinity of cadmium for the babbitt, there is not only a mechanical union of the facing with the plate'lO, due

to the interlocking of the babbitt with the orifices 13, but there is also a metallurgical union so that the facing 14 isheld very securely to the plate 10.

The facing 14 ismade of a thickness equal to that of a finished shim; in otherwords, it stands above and below the plate 10 sufficiently to lie flush with the laminae which are to be applied to the plate 10. The laminae 16 are cut to the form shown in Fig. 4, with a central opening 17 adapted substantially to register with the opening 11, and with offsets 18 adapted to receive the end portions 15 of the Babbitt facing. A

set of laminae is applied to the upper face of the shim and another set to the lower face thereof, and then thelaminae are secured to the body plate by means of solder applied at each end, as indicated at 19, and

also to the rear edge of the shim, as indicated at 20. This completes the manufacture of the shim.

It will be observed that the laminae are not in any way secured directly to the facing 14 but are connected thereto indirectly by means of the solder 19 and 20 which attaches them to the body plate 10. Because the body plate is cadmium coated the soldering may be very readily effected and there will be very close adhesion between the laminae and body plate. It will be understood, of course, that the soldering not only holds the laminae to'the plate 10, but also holds each lamina to the ad acent laminae. The facing 14 may be cast upon the plate 10 after the laminae 19 have been secured to the plate. I have found in practice that the babbltt or bearing metal, when thus cast to the edges of the laminae.

While I have referred to the use of solder for connecting the shims, obviously other means could also be employed, such as lacquer, cement, or the like. Also, while I have referred specifically to the use of cadmium coating, my invention is not limitedto the use of this material but is also applicable to other coating materials. 1

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. The process of manufacturing a laminated shim which com rises the steps of providing a body plate 0 ferrous metal, coat- .mg said plate with a non-ferrous material,

applying metallic laminae to the plate and securing the laminae-to said plate.

2. The-process of manufacturing a laminated shim' which comprises the steps of providing a body plate of ferrous metal, coatmg said plate with a non-ferrous metal on the plate, will not adhere adapted to provide a good bond for solder,

laying metallic laminae on the body plate,

eases and securing the laminae thereto with solder.

3. The process of manufacturing a laminated shim which comprises the steps of providing a body plate of ferrous metal, coating said plate with a non-ferrous metal adapted to provide a good bond for solder, laying metallic laminae on the body plate, and securing the laminae to the plate and to each other with solder applied to the edges of the laminae and the plate.

a. The process of manufacturing a laminated shim which comprises the steps of forming a body plate of steel with rough edges, coating said plate with a non-ferrous metal adapted to provide a good bond for solder, applying metallic laminae to the plate,

- and securing the laminae thereto with solder Ell applied to the edges of the laminae and the plate.

5. The process of manufacturing a laminated shim which comprises the steps of forming a body plate of steel with rough edges, plating said plate with cadmium, laying metallic laminae upon the plate and securing the laminae thereto with solder app%ied to the edges of the laminae and the p ate. a

6. The process of manufacturing a laminated' shim which comprises the steps of forming a body plate of ferrous metal, coating said plate with a non-ferrous metal adapted to'provide a good bond for bearing metal, securing metallic laminae on the plate, and casting 2. lug of bearing metal on one edge of the plate.

7 The process of manufacturing a laminated shim which comprises the steps of forming a body plate of steel, coating said plate with a metal adapted to provide a good bond for solder and bearing metal, casting a lug of bearing metal on one edge of the plate, laying metallic laminae on the plate, and securing the laminae to the plate with solder applied to the edges of the laminae and the plate.

8. The process of manufacturing a laminated shim which comprises the steps of forming a body plate of steel with rough edges and with recesses at one edge thereof, coating the plate with a metal ada ted to provide a good bond for solder and caring metal, cast-mg a lug of bearing metal on the recessed edge of the plate whereby the hearing metal will enter said recesses and also form a bond with the coating, laying metal lic laminae on the plate, and securing the laminae to the plate with solder applied to the edges of the laminae and the plate.

9. The process of manufacturing a laminated shim which comprises the steps of forming a body plate of steel with orifices therein adjacent one edge of the plate, the

' manner of said forming being such that the edges of the plate and the walls of the orifices will be rough, coating thejplate with cadmium, casting a lug of bearing metal on the plate over the edge adjacent the orifices, whereby the "lug will mterlockwith said orifices, laying metallic laminae upon the plate and securing the, laminae to the plate with solder applied to the edges of the laminae and the plate.

10. The process of making a laminated shim which comprises the steps of'formin a body plate of steel with orifices therein ad] acent one edge of the plate, the manner of said forming being such that the edges of the plate and the walls of the orifices will be rough, coating the plate with cadmium, laying metallic laminae upon the plate, "the laminae being of such form as to cover the face of the plate except that portion which contains said orifices, securing the laminae to the plate with solder applied to the edges of the laminae and the plate, casting a lug of hearing metal on the exposed portion of the plate and into the orifices of such thickness that the top of the lug will lie flush with the top of the laminae.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

LLOYD A. JOHNSON. 

